Castle student Saima helps company become 'employer of choice'

Saima Habib, who is studying for a master's in Global Finance and Investment, spent three months working with Saladworks, part of the Samworth Brothers group.

Saima main

The 23-year-old chose to do an Executive Company Project (ECP) in preference to a traditional theory-based dissertation, giving her the opportunity to apply her knowledge and experience to a specific business issue.

She said: "Working for another organisation has been eventful and interesting. It has been my favourite aspect of the course so far."

Saima's project involved researching the company's competitors and their branding techniques as well as looking at how the business could improve.

"This involved analysing employee turnover data, to suggest ways in which the company could improve on their current figure and become an 'employer of choice'," she said.

The experience has benefited Saima in many ways. She said: "It has assisted me in being able to apply my academic understanding to a real-life project in a well-established company.

"Undoubtedly, it will help me with future projects while also giving me experience that is valued by potential employers and can be discussed in interviews.

"Working at the business has also helped me create relationships with many individuals, improving my communication skills, as well as presenting me with networking opportunities.

"I spent long hours trying to complete both the project and report to the best standard and I am delighted the hard work has paid off."

Saima chose to do her master's at LCBS having completed an undergraduate degree in Accounting and Finance at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU).

She said: "The support I received for my undergraduate studies was greatly appreciated and the VC's 2020 Scholarship offered to DMU graduates made this a very attractive opportunity."

Her Castle experience has lived up to expectation.

"I do believe the course has helped me to understand the different aspects of a business," she said.

"The key lesson I will be taking forward is that the planning involved in creating a strategy to tackle a problem needs to be comprehensive, as it is critical the strategy is both suitable and feasible.

"I have also learned to be more proactive, as a result of learning various strategic and analytical tools."

She is also impressed with the support on offer. "All the lecturers have been exceptionally helpful and have worked hard to explain the difficult aspects of the modules," added Saima, who is due to graduate in July 2018.

Completing the remainder of her Association of Chartered Certified Accountants exams is Saima's immediate goal, with a longer-term ambition to work for a large company in a finance role.